The first footage of RIM’s L-Series BlackBerry 10 device has surfaced on YouTube, showing a quick rundown of the company’s new mobile operating system, as well as how the smartphone compares with the prototype Dev Alpha B device.

The smartphone looks very sleek and slim, with a glossy finish to the front and a soft, almost pseudo-leather texture on the back. The screen and volume rocker located on the right-hand edge of the device look almost identical to the Dev Alpha B device, however, thanks to the new rounded edges, it looks much more attractive and easier to hold in the hand.

The product design team at RIM has clearly been influenced by the success of the iPhone 5, although the absence of any tactile button on the front of the device does, in some ways, make it feel a bit more polished and refined. The device has a removable 1800 mAh battery, as well as a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The left side of the handset reveals both a Micro USB port for charging and file transfers, as well as a HDMI port for throwing up your photos and videos elsewhere.

What we can see of BlackBerry 10 isn’t new, although the row of apps for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare might just mean that they could be ready for the platform’s launch early next year.

The call functionality is also pretty interesting, as it pops down from the top of the screen in a similar fashion to the notification tray on Android and iOS. Until you drag down and accept the call, or up to refuse it, the home screen and apps are still visible, further emphasizing the connected hub that RIM has been pushing for the last few months.

BlackBerry World and BBM, as well as a contacts and reminders app were also visible throughout the video. Dropbox, YouTube, Adobe Reader and Box were among the recognizeable third-party app developers too.

Nick Summers is a technology journalist for The Next Web. He writes on all sorts of topics, although he has a passion for gadgets, apps and video games in particular. You can reach him on Twitter, circle him on Google+ and connect with him on LinkedIn.